Pupillary dilatation has recently been reported as a physiological measure of degree of attention paid to environmental stimuli (Hess and Polt, 1960, 1964). Hess and Polt's research has operationally defined one variable and has provided data that allows researchers to speculate about several others. This variable is interest-disinterest. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the relationship between sociometric choice patterns and pupillary behavior. Some 18 sixth-grade subjects (Ss) completed a sociometric questionnaire in which they indicated three friendship and three nonfriendship choices. Black and white photographs of each S were made and served as the experimental stimuli. The stimuli were arranged and shown to each S according to their responses to the sociometric questionnaire. No significant differences in pupillary dilatation patterns were found among Ss when viewing stimuli depicting friendship choices as opposed to nonfriendship choices. Pupillary dilatation to pictures of friends was, on the average, not significantly different from dilatation patterns to pictures of nonfriends. Results were discussed in terms of (1) theoretical issues relevant to sociometric choice patterns, and (2) the interpretation of pupillary response patterns and their relationship to inquiry in the social sciences. (Author)

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